Last week, a crowd of more than fifty came out to hear from the City of Oakland, BART, and AC Transit about transportation revenue measures each are considering for the November 2016 ballot. We were pleased to co-host this informative event along with Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, TransForm, and Bike East Bay. Read more
Transport Oakland is opening its 2016 endorsement season early, and we’re throwing our support behind two candidates for the BART Board of Directors who understand that great transportation makes great cities. Join us at our 2016 kick-off party and get to know these two women who will represent Transport Oakland’s vision for a vibrant, equitable Oakland on the BART Board.
Supporting Rebecca Saltzman for a second term on the BART Board of Directors was an easy decision for us. Rebecca has a been a star Board member, pursuing smart policies that address existing BART needs and thoughtfully focus on the long-term health of the agency. We’re also especially pleased by her recent actions to address a major policy gap: requiring 20% affordable housing of any residential development on BART property.
Meet Lateefah Simon and you’ll understand why we’ve endorsed her to represent us on the BART Board of Directors. Lateefah brings a much needed focus on BART riders and station access, particularly for transit-dependent riders and riders with disabilities. And Lateefah shares Transport Oakland’s vision for prioritizing investments in system-wide state of good repair and in the core of the system.
Join us from 5-7 PM on Tuesday, March 22 to hear more from Rebecca and Lateefah about their vision for BART and how they’ll represent Oakland on the next BART Board of Directors. Transport Oakland is hosting a happy hour at Mad Oak (135 12th Street, near Lake Merritt BART) to help kick off their campaigns. Meet these terrific candidates and other Oaklanders excited about a more resilient and accessible BART network. Hear more from Transport Oakland’s leadership about our roadmap through November 2016 (endorsements for Oakland City Council and AC Transit Board coming later this year). Suggested donation $20-$100. Donate in advance (preferred) or at the event. RSVP on Facebook to see who else is attending, and we hope to see you there.
This Tuesday, the Oakland City Council will decide whether now is finally the time to recruit a Director of Transportation to lead the new Oakland Department of Transportation. We say: absolutely. It’s been time to start this process for some time now, and we fully support the approval of this item as amended by the Public Works Committee. Read more
A commercial bank got a bus stop removed, even though it served riders headed to medical appointments, was identified in the neighborhood’s specific plan and would serve a future grocery store. This shouldn’t happen. Transport Oakland Board Member Kenya Wheeler helps explain.
The East Bay Express explores the connection between inflated parking requirements and the cost of housing. Read more: A Green Solution to Oakland’s Housing Crisis.
The East Bay Express names Transport Oakland Best New Civic Group for its work organizing for better transportation in Oakland. See other Best Of winners.
Former NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan will lead the search for Oakland’s new Director of Transportation. Read more.
AC Transit is seeking public input on the search for their next General Manager. The next opportunity is a Special Board meeting tomorrow 4:30 p.m. in the AC Transit Board Room, 1600 Franklin Street. A survey will also be posted following the meeting. Find more information here.
Like a surprising number of other cities, despite its size, Oakland, California, currently does not have a Department of Transportation. Decisions about transportation projects from signal timing, to paving, to designing and applying for grants to fund a bike and pedestrian bridge over the estuary leading to Lake Merritt, have been made within either the Planning Department or the Department of Public Works―or both.
Ruth Miller wrote this piece for California Streetsblog. Read more.
Mayor Libby Schaaf’s 384-page proposed budget includes a subtle but potentially significant change to the structure of Oakland’s city government: the creation of a Department of Transportation (DOT). Read more on Oakland North.
